Herma launches QR-based remote assistance

The company has developed a new feature for resolving faults quickly and accurately without requiring direct access to the applicator. Built around automatically generated QR codes, the procedure has been successfully trialed and is now a standard feature of the Herma 500 labelers.

If a fault occurs, the user presses a button to generate a QR code, which appears on the label applicator’s touchscreen. The encoded information comprises around 300 current parameters of the applicator. The user then scans the code with a smartphone or tablet. This opens a webpage of the Herma Service Portal, and the encoded parameter data is automatically sent to the manufacturer. 

Herma’s service technicians can then examine and interpret the parameters on their screens in real time. Undesired settings, possibly selected by mistake, are generally identified immediately, and in any event, the reason for a malfunction can quickly be pinpointed. 

‘The local user is then given specific instructions by phone. In most cases, the problem is resolved with just three of four clicks,’ said Tobias Erhardt, who heads up the service department for Herma labeling machines. ‘Compared to fault clearance by phone only, our experience to date indicates an average time saving of a good 20 minutes for malfunctions relating to certain settings. Transmitting all the parameters and settings of a Herma 500 without establishing a data connection is now a cinch for customers.’

Another user benefit of the QR code is its ability to log and store all applicator’s current parameters and settings in the Herma Service Portal. In the unlikely event of a system crash, this data can be used to recover the device’s customer-specific settings. 

‘We see the Herma Service Portal as an all-embracing customer platform that gives access, in one place, to all the data that a user could possibly need. In this context, QR code technology serves as a logical, secure, and hugely efficient roadmap,’ concluded Erhardt.